May 5, 2014
Questioning Treasury Secretary Jack Lew on the National Debt
During an Appropriations Subcommittee hearing last week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew testified about the status of the fiscal health of our nation. I had a chance to question Secretary Lew about the frustration and anger many Americans have about the $17 trillion national debt our country has racked up and Washington's culture of overspending and indifference to this problem. As we know, both parties in Washington have been responsible for overspending and we must work together in bipartisan fashion if we are ever going to get our country's books balanced.
While the House has put forward responsible budgets that balance within 10 years, the current Administration has submitted national budget proposals that only add more debt and will never balance. Current estimates are we will borrow $6.6 trillion more over the next 10 years. If we are going to solve this challenge the President and Secretary Lew must put serious balanced solutions on the table.
Click here, or on the images above, to watch our exchange.
House passes first two Appropriations Bills
After several weeks of Appropriations Subcommittee hearings to provide oversight into how our federal agencies will spend tax dollars on their programs, the House passed two Fiscal Year 2015 appropriations bills last week. With overwhelming bipartisan support, the House passed the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill, as well as the Legislative Branch appropriations bill. There are a total of 12 appropriations bills, so we will continue working through the next several weeks to pass the remaining ten funding bills.
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs
H.R. 4486 - the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill - provides $165 billion in total budget authority for FY 2015 programs and activities funded in the bill. The bill provides $158 billion in discretionary and mandatory spending for the benefits and medical care of our nation's veterans, and $6.6 billion in discretionary spending for military construction and family housing.
Legislative Branch
H.R. 4487 - the Legislative Branch appropriations bill - provides a total of $3.3 billion for the legislative branch, including the offices of the Members of the House of Representatives, support agencies, visitor services, and Capitol operations. The proposed FY 2015 funding is the same as FY 2014 and is 3.7 percent below the President's request.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to look for ways to responsibly reduce spending and save taxpayer dollars.
Remembering our Lost Community Members
I spoke on the House floor last week to pay tribute to the three victims our community lost three weeks ago as result of the tragic shootings at the Jewish Community Center and Village Shalom in Overland Park. Reat Underwood, Dr. Bill Corporan and Terri LaManno were beloved members of our community and each will be greatly missed by friends and family. We honor them and all victims of hate by doing our part to turn darkness into light, and turning hatred into love.
Click here, or on the image above, to watch my full remarks.
Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
Several members of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce were in Washington, DC last week as part of their "2014 KC to DC Advocacy Mission." It was great to see so many local business and community members. We discussed the Greater KC Chamber's 2014 legislative priorities for Congress, including improving infrastructure, bioscience and research, job creation, tax reform, fiscal responsibility and more.
Thank you to all the members of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce who traveled to our nation's capital to meet with Members of Congress about these important issues.
City of Edgerton Receives National Engineering Recognition
Edgerton Mayor Donald Roberts, Edgerton City Council member Cindy Crooks and Beth Linn were in Washington last week and I enjoyed meeting with them during their visit. The City of Edgerton recently built a new wastewater treatment plant and the project was recognized nationally by the American Council of Consulting Engineers.
Congratulations to the city of Edgerton on their well-deserved recognition.
FHSU President Dr. Hammond Visits Washington
Last week, Fort Hays State University President Dr. Ed Hammond visited Washington, DC, and we spoke about the higher education system in Kansas. Dr. Hammond is retiring at the end of June and has been serving in a leadership role at Fort Hays State since 1987. He has made a remarkable contribution to one of Kansas's great universities, and has worked hard to create an environment of success for our Kansas college students.
Thank you for your many years of service and leadership at Fort Hays State University, Dr. Hammond.
Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters
I was pleased to meet with Dan Soliday, President and CEO of Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters, last week. He traveled to Washington, DC to make several visits on Capitol Hill. Big Brothers Big Sisters serves over 6,000 children throughout the State of Kansas, and has nearly 4,000 children on their waiting list. BBBS does an excellent job matching younger children facing adversity with strong and supportive older mentors.
Thank you to Dan for all the important work you do to help brighten the futures of thousands of children in Kansas.
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